A ROOKIE policewoman fears her dream of owning her own home has been shattered after a housing association put up the value of her "affordable" house by £45,000.

A ROOKIE policewoman fears her dream of owning her own home has been shattered after a housing association put up the value of her "affordable" house by £45,000.

Emma Kinghorn agreed to half-buy and half-rent a mid-terrace house worth £135,000 in Harrow Way, Sindlesham, after seeing it advertised as a home for key workers.

But just as she prepared to exchange contracts, she was shocked to discover that Chiltern Hundreds Housing Association had revalued the two-bedroom property at £180,000.

The increase, which means she is now only able to buy around a third of the house, has left her unsure whether she wants to go ahead with the purchase.

Miss Kinghorn, 19, decided to invest her grandparents' inheritance in the part-rent, part-buy house for first-time buyers in the summer.

Six houses were reserved for key workers such as police officers, nurses and social workers under a Wokingham District Council legal agreement with Westbury Homes in return for planning permission, and she was told by Midsummer Housing Association, acting as agents for Chiltern Hundreds, that a mid-terrace two-bedroom house could be bought for £135,000.

The Thames Valley Police trainee arranged a mortgage for £67,500 to buy half the property, and organised to pay rent on the remaining 50 per cent at £32 a week.

Miss Kinghorn, who lives with her parents in Sylvester Close, Winnersh, then put down a £200

non-refundable deposit in September in which to reserve the site and received a letter from Midsummer confirming both the price and a deadline to exchange contracts on Friday, October 11.

Although she had not exchanged contracts she had signed agreements to buy the house.

However, correspondence from the agents then dried up, and then earlier this month she received a letter which left her house-buying hopes in tatters.

Dated October 7, the letter said that Chiltern Hundreds had commissioned an independent valuation of the houses and her home was now worth £180,000 — a £45,000 increase.

The housing association told Miss Kinghorn that the original price of £135,000 for her house had been set too low and explained that

it is required by the Housing Corporation to sell houses at the open market value.

This means she can still buy part of the house, but only a 37.5 per cent share. Her rent would remain unchanged.

A spokesman for Midsummer said the association acted only as

selling agents for Chiltern Hundreds and said it had no

responsibility for decisions.

Chiltern Hundreds Housing Association has failed to comment on the case.

But Wokingham District Council's Cllr Gary Cowan has pledged to investigate.

He said: "It's outrageous that agreements are made for house prices and then changed at the last minute.

"The losers are those people desperate to get on the housing ladder. It's very unfair."

Cllr Cowan said vital low-cost housing for key workers was desperately needed in the Thames Valley, as many public sector workers fled the region for lower-cost areas.

He said: "The whole purpose of these legal agreements between the council and developers is to encourage young people on to the housing ladder and help key

workers in the area.

"If this sort of price rise is

happening, even if it is legal, we as an authority have to combat it."

He pledged to contact planning officers to see if the council could establish future policies against prices of key worker homes being raised so much.